Kayakers beware: What to do when you encounter a gator in SC waterways

State waterways are playgrounds for boaters, kayakers and more, especially during the summertime. But these recreational spaces are also home to a variety of critters, some posing more risk than others.

What exactly are you to do if you spot an alligator while out on the water?

There’s no avoiding the reptilian creatures. The state Department of Natural Resources estimate 100,000 alligators call South Carolina home.

Beneath the surface

Spotting a gator in the water can be tricky. In fact, most of the time you probably won’t see one, although the creatures are assuredly there, said Morgan Hart, alligator project leader and biologist with DNR. 

“Alligators are very good at hiding,” Hart said. “Whether you see one or not isn’t really going to change the way you behave.”

If you are to spot an alligator, you’ll likely catch one sunning on a bank. Either that or just a glimpse — a splash or the ridge of its head or two beady eyes before they disappear below the surface.

While skilled at hiding, that doesn’t mean an alligator means any harm to humans. They’re predominantly docile creatures. 

Alligators are “just existing in that space and you may be in that space with them,” Hart said.

Curious creatures 

Keeping an eye on gator behavior is key. The majority will actively avoid humans. But if one purposefully approaches a person, it’s often out of animalistic curiosity or it’s been conditioned to trust humans, Hart said. It’s the latter that is of concern.

Gators that frequently hang out around humans — at boat ramps or fishing piers, for example — might have been either knowingly or accidentally fed by humans in the past.

In South Carolina, it is strictly illegal to “feed, entice or molest an alligator,” unless explicitly authorized to so. The crime is charged as a misdemeanor, and conviction could mean a 30-day stint in jail, a fine of up to $150 or both.